Women's Hockey

Red Deer women's hockey Jade Petrie

Feb 01, 2018

by ACAC Sports Writer Curtis J. Phillips

With only four games remaining in the 2017-2018 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference(ACAC) women's hockey regular season, Jade Petrie of the Red Deer Queens will become the second-top scorer in the team's 18-year history.

Natasha Bauer (2002-2006) holds top spot, fifth overall in ACAC archives, with 96 points produced in 78 games with 60 goals and 36 assists.

Petrie, a fifth-year forward from Red Deer, currently has 79 points, having skated in 103 ACAC regular season games with 43 goals and 36 assists to her credit.

Mellisa Welton of Mount Royal Cougars (2000-2004) sits at No. 1 for ACAC career scoring leaders with 122 points earned in 63 games with an impressive 73 goals and 49 assists.

Sports are a family affair for Petrie, 23, who is enrolled in the Legal Assistant Diploma program.

Her father played hockey, her mother basketball and her older brother Clayton hockey in the ACAC for Red Deer Kings and then the MacEwan Griffiths (2014-2017), following three high-scoring seasons with the Alberta Junior Hockey League Calgary Canucks.

"Being the older brother (by two years), Clayton was always pushing me to be better and I got my sense of battle from him...not only on the ice but off the ice also," said Petrie. "Growing up he was always one-upping me and that helped me to be more competitive for sure."

Petrie is an all-around athletes, having played rugby and ran cross country at Red Deer's Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School

"I was a scrum half in rugby and that was my second dominant sport," said the 5-foot-8 Petrie. "I enjoyed playing it."

It was in 2015-2016 that Petrie played an integral part in the Queens winning the ACAC women's hockey banner.

A championship finale, in which the Queens beat the then three-time champion NAIT Ooks 4-3 in double-overtime.

"That was best day of my life, going into that double overtime and being on the ice when the goal went in," recalls Petrie, who switched from the sport of ringette to hockey at the age of 10 suiting up in boys Novice play. "I can't describe the feeling. Finally being able to get a ring was amazing."

It was only a year prior though, that Petrie had took a hiatus from the sport to attend the University of Alberta as a student for 2014-2015.

"I took a year off. Things weren't working out and I needed to take a break from hockey for a bit. I did miss it and that's why I came back. It was good to get a sense of what life was like when hockey was over, said Petrie, a ACAC All Conference selection in 2013-2014."

Petrie said she is a big fan of Edmonton Oilers' star Connor McDavid.

"Just watching him play is unreal. He is so fast and his hands are so quick. I am inspired to be like him...obviously not as good...but my potential will grow looking up to him."

The Queens currently stand in third place in the five-team conference with a record of 11 wins 5 losses 3 overtime losses with 37 goals for and 29 goals against.

Of the team Petrie said: "We have a young crew this year and we are surprised how well the rookies are playing. They have surprised is all."